There are a variety of life-saving evidence-based interventions that can improve maternal and neonatal health and survival across the continuum of care, including quality antenatal care, skilled care during birth, postnatal care for both the woman and her baby, as well as essential newborn care.

Universal health coverage is defined as ensuring that all people have access to needed health services of sufficient quality to be effective while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship, which includes care across the continuum of care.